At 98 years old, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey is the oldest person to survive the surgical technique he pioneered.
The Gray Lady ran a Christmas Day feature on pioneer heart surgeon Dr. Michael E. DeBakey. It’s a compelling yarn, detailing the decision to operate though the 98-year-old Houstonian signed a no-surgery form, wifey Katrin’s late-night plea before the hospital’s ethics committee and the reaction of anesthesiologists (scared shitless) to potentially offing the old master. The Times couldn’t get an exact figure on hospital costs. Only that they exceeded a mil. And that DeBakey wasn’t charged.
No sense giving the guy a heart attack so soon after saving him. – Todd Spivak
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This article appears in Dec 21-27, 2006.